The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-06-29
The Mysterious Order That Played Part in
the Senatorial Contest.
How the Republican Committee Sought to
Bind kr. Robinson by an Oath.
4 Dsrk-Lantern PruesediDg-PersonsI Vio-
lencs for Breaking the Pledge.
MIR. Robinson Addresses an Open Letter
TO the Journal, Calling 1t to Ac-
count for Its Falsehood.

In a political deadlock as protracted as
that which became the memorable feature
of the senatorial contest of the last General
Assembly, many things occur to illus
trate the curious phases of human nature
To the public at large the results and overt
acts alone are to be seen. The warning of sin
fiuences' is silent and wholly beneath the
surface. The senatorial contest Just referred
to was an instance In point. To those who
had no access behind the scenes, the fight
seemed to be an affair simple enough. On
one side were ranged seventy-five Demo-
Gratis, on the other seventy Repub-
licans, and in the middle, holding the
balance of power, were four men claiming
to be independents. 1t was, apparently, q
question of endurance, nothing more
When the end came, the issue was entirely
acknowledgements Democrats voted for
Turpie, this number constituting a
msjority. A year from now many people
remembering only that seventy-six Demo-
Gratis were elected TO the Legislature in 1886,
and that seventy-six Democrats voted for
David Turpie for United States Senator, will
wonder what the row was about in view of
the naturalness Of the outcome.
That Representative Robinson, of Clay
County, was sincere in his support Of J. II.
Allen, the independent candidate, nobody
SIDE history of the independent movement
has some chapters which are little short OF
amazing.
1t was the object of the Republican State
Central Committee to keep Mr.. Robinson
voting for Allen and from voting
for 1urpie as long as pos
sible, in the hope that some
Democrats would die or turn up missing.
Messrs. Glover. Gates and Mackey, who
voted with Robinson for Allen, were moth
ing more than Republican stool-pigeons,
operating in Senator Harrison's interest.
To them was assigned the duty of holding
Robinson fast to Allen. The Sentinel has
told how q number of prominent alleged
GTeenbsckers Of indianapolis were en-
| ployed by the Republican State Central
Comm t'se TO prevent Robinson from
abandoning Allen, but the Sentinel has
| not indicated all,the influences which these
decoys brought to bear.
The most extraordinary eXpedient to
| which they resorted was the organization
| OF the mysterious Thirteen Club of
which Mr.. G. w. Brouse, of indianapolis,
| is said to have been the head center. The
| part this organisation played gives to the
| story OF the senatorial contest a Tierd in
terest. It reminds one OF the times when
| scowling assassins lurked in the shadows of
| Italian courts to aid factional
intrigue, or when consplrators against
| kings bound themselves by fearsome in
| contations and rites of superstition to work
| cut murderous causes IL must seem alb
| surd, indeed. that such sgencies should
have been employ ed, under the sanction of
| the Republican State Central Committee,
TO assist General Harrison, but such was
| indeed the case. 1t was feared by the COM
| mittee that Messrs. Glover, Gates and
| Mickey might not have sufficient influence
| to keep Mr.. Robinson with them, and the
| idea was thereupon conceived that MIR.
Robinson should be bound by some
oath. To this end Messrs. Brouse,
| Douglas and Meddert, of the Green.
back contingent, organized secretly what
was known to the initiated few as the
Thirteen" Club. The object of this club,
| so far as the constitution went, was APP.
| psIently highly patriotic. 1t professed to
bsve in view the publication of politics
| and there was a lot of slush in the various
| sections about opposition to corruption
| aud that sort of thing. So ingeniously was
| the declaration of principles drawn that
the unsuspicious novitiate would see no
wrong or Interior motive in the business.
But the only thing which was to the pur-
pose of the men promoting the scheme
vas a solemn oath each MEM
Der was required to take, binding
him to stand by the order in any
movement which the leaders might see fit
to undertake. To this oath the new mem
Der was net apt to give much attention, so
were Iuo principles ldlQ
down in the constitution. 1t was very
much like man swearing to protect his
family when in distress. The leaders de-
clared to those whom they desired to loin
that the order already had a national
scope, being, as they said, established In
all parts of the country, and including
hundreds of thousands of members. The
schemers, it will be perceived. had no lack
of nerve.
The place of meeting and initiation was
in the cellar of the Vance Block, where
the candidate for admission was taken.
| During the ceremony of induction the
room was kept in darkness, save where the
| CLEAN OF q dark lantern revealed the
masked faces of the high priests
| Of the order, who, with solemn
| voices, received the pledges of the
candidate. 1t was intended to be
q m9st awe-inspiring proceeding. In this
members were held and loyalty to Allen
| was the continual theme. into this asso-
| ciailon of political kuklux Mr.. Robinson
was led, under the impression that be
| was joining an order which was commend
| able in its objects, sincere in professions
| and widespread in its membership. The
| oath which candidates were required to
take carried with it penalty for infrac-
| ton. To break it was to incur personal
violence by way OF punishment. Fortu-
nately it did not take Mr.. Robinson long
to ascertain that the whole thing
was fraud, and he promptly
| threw it over, although one of the men,
bers approached HIM on the day he cast his
vote for Turpie and made the sign OF per-
sonal violence If he should dare do so.
| It is needless to say that with the cleo
| ton of Turpie the mysterious "thirteen"
collapsed. AS a political expedient it
| proved Intellectual, but as such expedient
il was probably without parallel in parti-
san politics.
/ To the Editor OF the Sentinel:
SIR-The Journal of the 23d inst, in its epis-
tie, "A Great Waste of WRATH not only infers
and presum In its frantic efforts to extricate
| itself from the pit into which it By falseh0od
1 fell hut IN ffc dacnpraff0n r1unppa dppnar nv